Household insurance claim worthwhile for an exploding cooker door?

Movie Maestro

Hi all,

My wife and I have a free standing induction cooker with a double oven, bought in 2019 so out of warranty - already confirmed with manufacturer.  Cost was approximately €800.  The other day about 20 mins after using the cooker the glass on the top oven door exploded all over my kitchen.  We had been using the bottom oven only.  I must stress it did not fall off but actually exploded. I was in the room at the time so saw the whole thing.  I took videos and photos  I know I can get this glass replaced but my wife and I are not happy to use the cooker again at all!

Anyway, I've raised a claim on the house insurance.  I contacted them and they said my excess is €250.  My insurance premium is around €400.  They advised it would affect my no claims bonus and my premium could increase. Expecting to be contacted by an assessor over the next few days

I'm wondering now is it worthwhile to continue with the claim or should we just accept it and buy a new cooker. 

Would appreciate any advice thanks.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058309648/household-insurance-claim-worthwhile-for-an-exploding-cooker-door

For the figures stated I don't think it beneficial to claim off it.

ARGINITE

I've had this happen once before, found replacement glass for less the €100 and it was handy to fit myself

Movie Maestro

@ kippy, I can see why you say that alright.

@ ARGINITE , thanks for the feedback, the thing is we are not happy to continue using the cooker if this kind of thing could happen again😲 I've never heard of anyone I know having the glass actually explode!

magicbastarder

i would be on to the manufacturer and asking for a goodwill gesture on the door. 4 years is not at all old for an oven, and a warranty is *on top* of your statutory rights, it does not replace them. you could make a simple argument that 4 years is not a reasonable age for a cooker to fail. in essence, a good should last for a reasonable length of time and you should expect a cooker to last longer.

the_amazing_raisin

As others said it doesn't seem to make sense to continue with the insurance claim, however it's worth checking the cost of a replacement appliance

The insurance probably won't pay out more than a couple hundred anyway

The glass in an oven window is usually made of tempered glass. It can explode like that due to sudden temperature changes if it's been weakened

Weakening can happen by resting heavy pots on the door, leaning heavily on the glass while cleaning or from a manufacturing defect

If you haven't used the oven much, then it's quite possibly a manufacturing defect. In this case it doesn't matter if the oven is out of warranty, the manufacturer must fix or replace it

I would get in touch with the manufacturer in this case and be clear you believe it's a defective product and request they investigate and provide a repair. If they dig their heels in, you can always take them to the small claims court which is probably easier than getting your insurance to cover it

Movie Maestro

Cheers for all the feedback guys, its very much appreciated! I'm beginning to think the house insurance route is a waste of time and loosing our NCB and increasing our premium is not something that appeals.

Movie Maestro

Spoke to a cooker engineer and at this stage will be cancelling the insurance claim and getting the glass replaced ourselves Thanks again all!

Also bear in mind that it will also affect your excess on the policy if you need to claim again in the same year some policies the excess can increase to between 1,500 and 6,000 for a second claim.

Oven glass can explode as it heats or cools if it has been stressed, the likelihood is that if you replace it it will be perfectly fine.

Oscar_Madison

Eh one thing I would do is explore the small claims court- it’s a very simple process and no solicitors fees required- it’s something like 80 euro or so to do an application.

The reason I’m saying this is you have rights as a consumer beyond any guarantee - an exploding glass cooker door is not as uncommon as you might think - but it’s not to be expected and especially not on a 2019 item. I would say that you’d have a pretty darn good case to get your money back from the store that sold it to you- (my opinion and not legal advice) ultimately they’ll be badgering the manufacturer anyway - an 800 euro cooker should have a much longer expectant life than 4 years- I’d approach the shop to tell them what’s on your mind and see if they change their tune - this is an extraordinary event.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989401#Comment_120989401

Sorry didn’t see this post before I posted

Eggs For Dinner

If the glass can be replaced, that is the extent of your claim. You cannot 'abandon' the cooker for replacement. If the repair is under the excess, you have no valid claim

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120990477#Comment_120990477

No worries, if we're all saying the same thing then hopefully we're right 😁

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120990493#Comment_120990493

Not necessarily- I wouldn’t want the same oven in my kitchen after that incident and I’d have a darn good reason on my side- a blasted glass door in my view is a feiced oven- personally I wouldn’t be leaving the shop without a brand new one and I’d get it too but that’s me - I wouldn’t rest and I certainly wouldn’t be claiming on house insurance - to me thats just upping my annual premium for very little return

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120991203#Comment_120991203

As you can see from my above post I’m a complete Nazi on these issues 🤪- but fck it like, an 800 euro oven, while not the most expensive is also not the cheapest of the cheap either- it’s probably a Bosch or similar , but in fairness it can happen for a variety of reasons- but it’s a totally “replacement item please” “I’m standing my ground and asserting my consumer rights” issue - they don’t have a leg to stand on and they’ll know that - need to speak to the manager though and if that doesn’t work, leave your name number and tell them you’re taking a small claims- a guarantee they’ll phone you back !

Eggs For Dinner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992087#Comment_120992087

You're right not to want to retain the cooker, my point is that it's not an option you have in relation to insurance. If it can be satisfactorily repaired, that is all you are entitled to in a claim

tvjunki

I would contact the manufacturer again as there could be a fault with the cooker. If you apply to your insurance your nct would be lost unless you protected it and you will be paying higher premiums for the next 2 years. After the two years you can change house insurance. Check out which.co.uk. You will see if your cooker is on there. Use the faulty goods tool and see if your cooker is on there. This is what which says.

If the worst happens, here are some steps you can take to get the best results:

• Take photos of the damage before clearing up. If you can, save the glass too.
• Use our faulty goods tool to generate a letter to send to the retailer.
• Stand your ground. Exploding oven doors are rare, and it's hard to prove the cause, so persistence can pay off.

cbreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992322#Comment_120992322

Plus, an explosion of this nature could have caused serious injuries to anyone close by, particularly a child. It's worth stressing this to them, plus the weight of Boards.ie as an encouragement.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992087#Comment_120992087

the door broke - in what instance could the oven itself be responsible for the door breaking? the law would state you're entitled to replacement or repair. demanding replacement when repair sounds feasible might not play well when the small claims court has been mentioned.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992864#Comment_120992864

Eh it exploded-that’s a bit more serious than a dodgy hinge

L1011

I got the inner glass for a Indesit for ~60 quid after it shattered, easy to self-fit - I don't think any door would reach the excess amount.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992999#Comment_120992999

As someone above pointed out, it was probably badly tempered glass. You don't replace the car if the windscreen breaks.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993783#Comment_120993783

Fine but personally speaking I wouldn’t get another one - I’d want that appliance out of my house- it’s a life altering applicance especially if a small child was close by- as you can see I’d be a right pain in the ass to deal with in a shop on this issue 😀- but I feel strongly about it.